The identity of the Owl wasn’t the only big revelation in the latest Shadowhunters episode

Shadowhunters 3×03 “What Lies Beneath” truly did justice to its name. It was an episode filled with revelations and surprises that had us hooked till the very end.  The episode kicked off with an unsuccessful attack by the Owl, who was unable to possess his latest victim, a girl named Morgan Young (Genevieve Kang). After hearing about the intended attack, Jace (Dominic Sherwood), convinced that the Owl is Jonathan (Will Tudor), plans on going on a mission that night with Clary (Katherine McNamara) to keep an eye on Morgan, thinking that the Owl might be close to her.

At the Institute, Alec (Matthew Daddario) and Izzy (Emeraude Toubia) plan out a family dinner at Magnus’ (Harry Shum Jr) place for Maryse (Nicola Correia-Damude), who is coming to visit. Afraid that she might bring in bad news, the Lightwood siblings are worried about what she might tell them. After both of them say that the dinner can’t be at the Institute, they agree to take Magnus up on his offer of having the dinner at his place. Later, Izzy decides to join Clary and Jace on their mission and miss the family dinner, after Clary tells her that Jace thinks Jonathan is the Owl.

At the Jade Wolf, Russel (Noah Danby), upset about what happened with Simon (Alberto Rosende), talks with Luke (Isaiah Mustafa) and asks him to think about the pack and make Simon move out. That forces Luke to make a decision between Simon, who he loves like a son, and his pack, who are feeling forgotten by their leader. Later in the episode, we learn that he decides to put the pack first and make Simon move.

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After he comes back from visiting his sister, Raphael (David Castro) goes to his basement to check on Heidi (Tessa Mossey), who instead of being dead like we all thought she was, is now a vampire. Raphael has been keeping her there for a while now and though he seems to have everything under control at first, it’s clear that Heidi is not happy and wants to be released. Raphael’s problems are not over yet. Simon pays him a visit to see if he knows anything about the Mark of Cain and, unaware of what Raphael is going through, keeps asking Raphael about the mark. At one point, Raphael has enough and goes in to attack Simon, only to get pushed away violently, just like the werewolf did the day before.

Back at Magnus’ place, Alec and Magnus pleasantly surprised by Maryse’s behavior, question the true motives of her visit. To which she replies with some bad news, she has been exiled from Alicante and is being stripped out of her runes as a punishment from the Clave. Maryse lets her son know that though she is not happy with the Clave’s decision, she understands the reason behind it.

At the club, Jace sees Jonathan and follows him. But after a short fight, Jonathan disappears letting us know that he is still only in Jace’s head. Outside of the club, Clary and Izzy come face to face with the Owl who possess Morgan and after Clary confronts him, runs away. At the end of the episode, the Owl arrives back at Lilith’s and in a shocking cliffhanger, we learn that the Owl is… Jace!

The episode ended with probably the first big cliffhanger of the season. And as always, it is one worth discussing. Let’s meet our roundtable guests for this week’s episode and start our discussion!

Megan (@TMIronSisters) – prolific reader, aspiring writer, amateur photographer, lover of theatre and a fan of Shadowhunters.

María (@ShadowhuntersJA) – Shadowhunters Spain Administrator

ShadowhuntersLA (@ShadowhuntersLA) – Update/fan account of shadowhunters Latin America.

Sonia (@Shadowhunters.Blood.isnt.Love) – Tireless reader, Fantasy lover, Founder of Shadowhunters “Blood isn’t Love.”

Ashleigh (@edwardanddamon) – Multifandom account for books, tv, and movies, starting up a blog where I’ll chat about books soon!

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1. Thinking about his pack first, Luke asked Simon to move out. As much as they are family, do you think that he made the right decision?

Megan (@TMIronSisters): I think as a leader Luke is trying to do what’s best for everybody. He’s in danger of causing a mutiny if he doesn’t start listening to his pack members but being so close to Simon he wants him to have somewhere safe to stay. I think he will feel guilty about his decision but I think Simon will thank him for it in the end. And Simon is such a good guy, he knows Luke didn’t ask him to leave because there was bad blood between them. Simon can understand the difficulty of Luke’s position and yeah, I think he’ll be grateful in the end.

María (@shadowhuntersja): It’s clear that it has been very difficult for Luke to make this decision. For me, the most difficult part of this situation is that he had to choose between what he should do for the common good and what he wants to do. On one hand, he doesn’t like having to punish Simon in that way, knowing that he is not really guilty of what happened. But on the other hand, if he had let Simon continue to live there as if nothing happened, he would have brought more problems and confrontations, not only between Simon and the werewolves but maybe between vampires and werewolves. So even though it was a very difficult decision for Luke, I think it was the right one. Because as much as he cares for Simon, for the werewolves he’s not choosing between a mundane and them, but between a vampire and his pack, and that complicates everything even more.

ShadowhuntersLA (@shadowhuntersla): Yes, because despite the fact that Luke sees Simon as his family, he is the alpha, and he has responsibilities as a leader of the pack. We think that his decision will help Simon find his true purpose and his own powers.

Sonia (@Shadowhunters.Blood.isnt.Love): I think Luke has made the right decision, this way he’ll Simon and loosen up the tension with the pack.

Ashleigh (@edwardanddamon): I know as hard as it was for Luke to ask Simon to move, I think he made the right call. It’s true that Simon is like a son to him, but he is the Alpha of the wolf pack, and with that title comes a great deal of responsibility. He had to do what was right for the pack. I totally think Simon understood why Luke had to ask him to leave, and he respected his decision.

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2. We saw the vulnerable and emotional side of Raphael in this episode when he had a conversation with his sister and when he was grieving after getting the news of her passing. What was your reaction to these scenes?

Megan: It was a side to Raphael that we’d glimpsed before in conversations with Izzy and Magnus and it was obvious that his family meant the world to him. Raphael has never been one of my favorite characters but his storyline is one that echoes problems Magnus has faced in the past and will again in the future. The same with Luke and Simon who will probably outlive many of their loved ones. David did a great job with it and it was nice to see Raphael display such humanity when often vampires are portrayed as being beyond caring.

María: First of all we must congratulate David for his performance in this episode. In this episode, we felt the pain of Raphael loss. We are used to seeing a more serious Raphael, but seeing him so defeated by his loss made me feel sorry for him. I admit that I shed some tears, especially when he’s talking about Rosa with Izzy or in his scene with Simon. To convey those emotions and make the viewer feel them is the actor’s mission, so we have to give David a lot of credit for these scenes.

ShadowhuntersLA: We cried, literally. His scenes were among the most emotional on the show. We finally saw a very human Raphael. We saw a brother that misses and loves his family above anything else.

Sonia: I felt very sorry for Raphael, his sister was the last bond with his family and she was an anchor for him. Now I wonder how much this will affect his next actions.

Ashleigh: The scenes with Raphael killed me! I totally cried. I liked that we were able to see that vulnerability and glimpse into his past. I hope we get to see more of his storyline. It looks like things will get pretty intense for him in next week’s preview!

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3. We all thought Heidi died in season 2 after Simon drank her blood at the bleeder den. So it was a surprise seeing her at the Hotel Dumort with Raphael. Now that she is free, how much trouble do you think she’ll cause?

Megan: Lots. In one word. Now that she’s free she’ll be looking to hunt down Simon and I have a feeling she’ll have no problem finding him. She seemed rather fixated on meeting him and I’m a little bit concerned that Simon might find that flattering which may cause problems between him and Maia. Not to mention the fact he’s already dealing with a lot of stuff; I don’t think he needs to add an obsessive vampire fledgling to the list.

María: I have a feeling that she will cause many problems, especially to Raphael, since he was to one who hid her. Starting from the fact that everyone thinks Heidi died. Why not tell the truth from the beginning? Why hide her in the Hotel Dumort and even lie to Magnus about it? That is already a problem in itself. To this, we must add that Heidi is practically newborn and that she hardly knows how the world of shadows works, so she can make mistakes that lead to problems for Raphael. And not only to Raphael, we will also see what other problems she can bring to Simon. He has a lot of things going on with the Mark of Cain and now Heidi will give him more headaches. Guess we’ll have to see how this ends.

ShadowhuntersLA: It was a big surprise but at the same time we kinda expected something like this. She’ll definitely cause a mess since we saw in season 2 that she was attracted to Simon and to the vampire stuff. So now that she’s got her new life as a vampire we think that her attraction will increase and become an obsession.

Sonia: Many. Probably too many. Heidi seems like an unstable subject, difficult to control. I hope she doesn’t leave too many victims behind her. We’ll see if Raphael can track her down in time.

Ashleigh: I totally think Heidi is going to wreak havoc! She’ll probably go on a killing spree in the city and have to be taken down. I’m guessing Simon might have to be the one to do it.

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4. At dinner, Maryse told Alec and Magnus that she is being stripped out of her runes and exiled from Alicante. After all these years and all that she has done to redeem herself, do you think that the punishment is justified?

Megan: I can see why the Clave gave her a more severe sentence than Robert if what she said is true about her crimes being more severe but at the same time it felt a little bit like sexism. Maryse has redeemed herself in many ways; her attitude towards Downworlders for one thing, whereas Robert is allowed to commit crimes against the Clave, disapprove of his son’s relationship with a warlock and cheat on his wife and still get away with it. It doesn’t sit right with me, especially because Maryse is making a visible effort to be better. I hope that the Clave regrets their decision because maybe they don’t know it but they’re better off with Maryse on their side.

María: I don’t think so. Maryse, despite her past mistakes, has sacrificed a lot for the Clave and doesn’t deserve to be treated this way. If something has been shown with Maryse is that people can learn from their mistakes. We’ve seen how she changed from almost despising Magnus for being a downworlder to thanking him for loving his son. About her time in the Circle, yes, she made mistakes, she let herself be blinded by Valentine’s idealism, but she knew how to be better than that and she’s been helping and sacrificing herself for the Clave all this time. I hope Alec will find a way to solve it and save his mother from that unjust punishment.

ShadowhuntersLA: No, absolutely not. We think that Maryse has had an incredible personal growth and character development. Not only regarding the fact that she accepted her older son’s relationship with a downworlder but also that she is always trying to make things right, and do what The Clave wants.

Sonia: I think Maryse didn’t deserve this. Okay, she has made a lot of mistakes in the past, but she has also spent a large part of her life correcting these mistakes. I think she already paid for her past.

Ashleigh: I felt really bad for Maryse. I don’t think the punishment is justified… being stripped of her runes and exiled seems pretty extreme. I hope that somehow Alec and Izzy can prevent this from happening.

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5. After having no luck in getting information about the mark on his forehead, Simon went to Raphael to see if he knew anything about it. Seeing how things unfolded, we don’t think we are seeing these two interact again anytime soon. Do you think Simon pushed him too far and should have listened the first time Raphael told him no?

Megan: Simon probably should have listened but he was unaware of Raphael’s situation. Perhaps if he had known about Rosa he would’ve been more sensitive towards Raphael. I think that once Raphael has had time to grieve and, being a victim of Simon’s mark himself, he’ll want to help Simon figure out what it is. That may take a while but I think we’ll see them interacting again this season.

María: Raphael and Simon’s relationship was already something that was reeling since season 2. Simon didn’t tell Raphael how he became a daylighter, in fact, Raphael reminded him that this episode. In Simon’s favor, I will say that he didn’t really know what Raphael is going through. We can say that he arrived at the worst possible time to ask favors. But if Simon had paused a little to really see Raphael, he would have seen that he wasn’t having a really good time. With all that is happening to him with the Mark of Cain, not really knowing what it is and the possibility of hurting people unwillingly, has made him too upset, and that’s why he didn’t truly saw Raphael and kept pushing him. Both of them ended up hurt, one physically and the other one for hurting Raphael unintentionally. Will they have any kind of relationship again? I think that the Heidi theme will put them in the same room again. Will they get along better?  I really doubt that the relationship between those two is too damaged.

ShadowhuntersLA: We do, Simon had the worst timing and he was too immersed in his own problems that he didn’t realize how bad and heartbroken Raphael was. They could have worked out their problems together but giving their trust issues it was hard for them to compromise and opened up to each other.

Sonia: It was the wrong time. Simon doesn’t know what Raphael is going through so he doesn’t realize that this is not the right time. Perhaps Simon should have noticed that Raphael was upset, but he had other concerns on his mind.

Ashleigh: I know Simon really needed Raphael’s help to understand what was happening to him with the mark, but I do think he pushed him too far. He was too caught up in his own worries to notice that Raphael was crying and visibly upset. Simon should have realized that something was very wrong and given him his space. He should have waited until Raphael was ready to talk.

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6. Maryse now knows how much Magnus means to Alec and how much he loves her son. What are your thoughts on their exchange during and after dinner?

Megan: That entire dinner sequence was a dream. I cannot believe we have come this far since season one. If you’ve read the books, nothing was ever explicitly cleared up between Maryse and Magnus whereas this cleared the air between them completely. It wasn’t an apology as such; it was almost better than that. It was acceptance, it was Maryse thanking Magnus for protecting her son when she couldn’t, for loving him when she didn’t understand how to. It was everything I’ve been wanting and waiting for it and Shadowhunters gave that to me and I’m so grateful. I’m also so impressed with the writing and the way it feels so natural to watch. I loved it. One of my new favorite interactions on the show.

María: We have to thank Nicola for her wonderful performance. As I said earlier, we have seen Maryse evolve from practically hating Magnus for being what he is, to showing how grateful she is to him for loving her son. I have to say that Maryse represented me in that dialogue, we have to thank Magnus for making Alec happy and Alec for making Magnus happy. The evolution of Maryse’s interaction with them is clearly seen in the hugs. While arriving we see how she embraced them with effusiveness and with energy, when she is about to leave we see that the hugs represent now more than the first ones. Their night evolved, we went from a shallow evening with jokes led by Magnus, to a deeper moment when Maryse tells them what has really happened. I loved the mother-child moment that Maryse and Alec had, and especially the opportunity to see how Maryse has evolved for the better.

ShadowhuntersLA: It was one of the most heartfelt, sweetest, honest and breakthrough moments for the three of them. They’ve all come a long way, from denial to acceptance, and now they’re finally at peace with their feelings, which allows them to be a happy family where love is all that prevails.

Sonia: “Thank you for loving my boy.” Okay, I have to confess that I was really moved by the scene. It was nice to see Maryse recognize the love between Alec and Magnus. It was a beautiful scene, the whole dinner was intense. The final greeting was full of feelings, there was so much emotion in everyone’s eyes. For Alec, it was very important but I think it also was for Magnus.

Ashleigh: I was really surprised at how well the dinner went. I was a little worried at first that it would be a disaster, but I thought Maryse handled herself. I really liked that she seemed to make peace with Magnus and Alec’s relationship and give them her blessing. I really enjoyed the conversation between the three of them and I was glad they could have it privately. It felt really intimate.

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7. The ‘Owl’ was finally unmasked in this episode. Were you surprised to find out that Jace is the one behind the mask?

Megan: Yes and no. I didn’t think he’d be revealed in this episode but I think it was obvious Jace was tied up in the whole Sebastian/Lilith/demonic possession thing. His dreams are all a little bit too vivid and I don’t think he’s wrong in believing they’re prophetic. Clary may have her doubts but obviously, we as the audience know that Lilith has Sebastian’s body and she’s trying to resurrect him. Moving into the future I think Jace is going to suffer from a lot of guilt when he realizes that he himself has become the bad guy they’re all hunting. I think it’s going to damage him in a lot of ways.

María: I don’t know where to start, I’m so excited about this revelation. I personally carried with the theory that Jace and the Owl were the same people since they trailer was released in New York Comic Con, and seeing in this episode that my theory was true, made me jump out of my chair, literally. I’ve been since the analyzing every detail that could relate Jace to the Owl since the beginning of the season, and finally, my theory was fulfilled. For that I’m happy, but on the other hand, I suffer seeing Jace being a puppet in Lilith’s hands. We’ll see what our wicked mom has done to Jace and how it will affect Jace to discover that he is behind the attacks on the mundanes.

ShadowhuntersLA: Yes and no, we’ve seen clues along the past episodes that led us to think that something was seriously wrong with Jace since he was brought to life. But we never imagined he was this bad, to a point where Lilith has an almost full control of him, and we say almost because at the end of the episode The Owl/Jace reacted to Clary’s call so there might be hope for Jace to get rid off Lilith’s power over him.

Sonia: Yes and no. There was something that didn’t return to Jace’s behavior and the mystery was revealed. I can’t wait to see the next episode and find out more.

Ashleigh: I was surprised and shocked that the Owl was Jace! I knew he was having nightmares, but no idea that he was being manipulated into these horrible plans of Lilith’s! I honestly thought the Owl was some kind of demon. Curious to see what’s going to happen next! I’m glad Clary is sensing something is off.

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Final Verdict: Jace is at a breaking point and having a secret identity he isn’t aware of is making things worse for him and everyone else

To say that this episode of Shadowhunters was an emotional ride wouldn’t be enough. These are the type of episodes that remind us what Shadowhunters is truly about. Seeing these characters grow and following their journey every step of the way, through all the good and the bad moments. We don’t often see Raphael’s vulnerable side on the show. So seeing his last moments with Rosa was truly special and even made us tear up. Then after he learned that she passed away and seeing him heartbroken because he couldn’t even go to her funeral was devastating. Raphael is a very interesting character with so much history and we think there is still so much more to tell. With Heidi on the loose, we are sure that Raphael is going to have to face the repercussions of having her hidden very soon.  

Now that the identity of the Owl has been revealed, we can’t wait to see if everyone, including Jace, is going to start putting the pieces together. It’s now time for Alec to start noticing what is going on with his Parabatai. He already has the feeling that something is off but he needs to dig deeper to figure it out. Why has he been able to feel Jace at all since he came back to life? If he has, then why is he not aware of everything that is going on with Jace? Even if Jace hasn’t told him anything, his Parabatai should’ve noticed that something is off by now. We hope that Alec and Jace have more scenes together soon. We are going to need our dose of Parabatai scenes this season.

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It’s going to be interesting seeing where Simon goes next. We feel for him and he probably feels more lost than before and doesn’t know where to go. He can’t go to his Mom’s house because he can’t afford to have another feeding incident happen and he can’t go to Clary because Downworlders can’t live at the Institute.  So he is going to have to find his own place now. Who knows, maybe so much change can be a good thing for him and he can slowly learn to live as a daylighter and finally find his place in the Shadow World.

We already know that a new character, Jordan Kyle (Chai Hansen) will be introduced next week, and we can’t wait to see where he will fit in the show’s story. Fans of the books will recognize him very quickly but considering how the story is changing in the show, we are not quite sure we know where they are taking him yet.

As it always happens, this week we were left with many unanswered questions. Is Alec going to try and find a way to help his Mom and prevent her from being exiled? Are Izzy and Clary going to be able to help Morgan now that she is possessed? Is Raphael going to find Heidi before the Shadowhunters are forced to intervene? And what will he do if he finds her? So many cliffhangers and questions that need answers. We can’t wait to see if the next episode can answer some of them.

Shadowhunters airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Freeform.